Wheel cover



Jan- 19, 1943. G. A. LYON 2,308,615

WHEEL COVER Filed Nov. 28, 19559 24 Sheets-Sheet l @scese 77455127'ra/V.

G. A. LYON WHEEL COVER Jan. 19, 1943.

Filed Nov. 28, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .ny-El Z :l

@sacas L-er ra. Y

Patented Jan. 19, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WHEEL COVER GeorgeAlbertY Lyon, Allenhurst, N. J.

Application November 28, 1939, Serial No. 306,527

. 4 Claims.

This invention relates to a wheel cover and more particularly to a wheelcover of the general type which is arranged to make a snap-on engagementwith a vehicle wheel Without the aid of any spring ngers or otherseparate attaching means. l

The majority of vehicle wheels today ar equipped with ornamental wheeldisks or wheel covers over their outer surfaces. The use of these wheelcovers permits a morey economical manufacture of vehicle wheels, sincethe wheels themselves may be designed solely for strength and utilitywithout regard to ornamental appearance, the wheel covers being employedfor the latter purpose. The most popular form of wheel cover at thepresent time is one having a highly polished exterior surface. Theexterior surface of the disk or cover may, of course, be

finished in any other suitable manner, such as by enameling it or thelike.

In order to minimize the total cost of the wheel assembly, it is ofcourse necessary to minimize the cost of the wheel disk as well as thatof the wheel as much as possible. The thinner the sheet metal stock iswhich is employed to make the wheel disk, the greater the saving in -itsmanufacturing cost. It has been found that a wheel disk or cover may beconstructed of sheet metal stock which is extremely thin but which isreinforced in a novel manner at the point where it is subjected to thegreatest stresses and strains.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel wheel coverhaving a non-denting curled edge.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel wheelcover having greater rigidity with thinner metal and which has a properand more desirable distribution of metal relative to the points on whichit is attached to a vehicle wheel and also relative to the points onwhich the wheel cover is engaged by a. pry-off tool.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel wheeldisk or wheel cover member which is economical to manufacture and whichis rugged and reliable in use.

Another and further object of the present invention is to provide awheel cover member having a rolled edge of at least one and one-quarterturns.

Still another object is to provide a metal cover member either in theform of a disk or annulus having a curled continuous ilexible edgeprovided with at least a double thickness of metal both at the pry-ofipoint and at the place of retaining engagement with the wheel.

Another and still further object of tne present invention is to providea novel wheel cover member having an outwardly rolled curled edge, whichcurled edge is partially or Wholly concealed by a bulged portion in thewheel cover member forwardly thereof.

The novel features which I believe to be characteristic of my inventionare set forth with particularity in the appended claims. My inventionitself, however, both as to its organization and manner of construction,together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best beunderstood by reference to the following description taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view o the upper half of a wheel andwheel cover assembly;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary front view of a portion of the wheel and wheelcover assembly with a portion of the wheel cover broken away so as toview the assembly along the line II-II of Figure 1;

- the vehicle wheel;

Figure 8 is a ivertical sectional view of theupper portion of a wheeland wheel cover assembly. the wheel cover shown therein being adifferent embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 9 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the wheel coverillustrated in the wheel assembly of Figure 8; and

Figures l0 and 11 illustrate other forms of the general type ofwheelcover which is illustrated in Figures 8 and 9.

Referring now to the preferred embodiment of my invention which isillustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 7 of the drawings, there is showntherein a wheel assembly comprising a vehicle wheel l0 and a Wheel coveror wheel disk ll. As shown in the drawings, the wheel I0 comprises a rimpart l2 and a body part I3. The rim l2 is of the usual drop center typeand includes abase flange I4, opposite intermediate side flanges l5,opposite intermediate base flanges I6, and opposite edge portions Il.The drop center rim I2 as illustrated is of the type which is commonlyemployed in the automotive vehicle art of the present day, and, as iswell known "to those skilled in the art, is arranged to receive andaccommodate a pneumatic tire (not shown).

'I'he body part I3 of the wheel I0 includes, in general.- a rearwardlyextending outer iiange I8,

an outer web portion I9, a generally axially rearwardly and slightlyradially inwardly extending inner web portion 20, and a radiallyinwardly extending wheel mounting iiange 2l. The rearwardly extendingouter flange I8 is secured to the underside of the base ange I4 of therim I2 in any suitable manner. such as by welding or riveting (notshown). Circumferentially spa ed portions of the ange I8 are depressedradially inwardly as at 22 to permit circulation of air through thewheel. The rear edges 23 of the depressed portions 22 are turned back asis clearly shown in Figure 1 of the drawings.

The wheel mounting ange 2| is provided with an annular series ofapertures 24 for the reception of the usual wheel mounting bolts (notshown), which bolts are arranged to extend therethrough into engagementwith the hub portion or brake drum of the vehicle (not shown) The outerweb portion .I9 is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spacedradially outwardly projecting protuberances 25. These protuberances 25may be formed on the wheel I0 in any suitable manner and may beinitially separate pieces of metal which are Welded or otherwise securedto the wheel or they may be integral with the wheel as is shown inFigure 1 and formed by pressing up these portions of the web I9. As isindicated in Figures l and 2, four of these protuberances are employedin the embodiment of the invention illustrated and described herein.

The wheel cover or wheel disk II includes in general a centraldome-shaped portion 26 and a generally rearwardly extending llangeportion 2l which terminates in a rolled edge 28. The rearwardlyextending flange 21 is bulged radially outwardly as at 29 to stilen thedisk at this point and to conne flexing of the ange 21 to the flangeregion. The rolled edge 28 is arranged to be sprung over theprotuherances on the wheel I0 thereby to secure the wheel cover I I tothe wheel.

As is shown in Figure l, a trim ring 30 is also preferably mounted onthe Wheel I0. The trim ring 30 is an ornamental annular sheet metalmember the radial inner edge of which is serrated and bent to provide aplurality of radially outwardly and axially outwardly obliquelyprojecting teeth 3I which make a biting engagement with the outerintermediate base flange I6 of the rim I2.

The wheel cover II is removed from the assembly by any suitable pry-01Ttool 32 such as a screw-driver or the like. The end of the screwdriveris inserted behind the roll 28 and the wheel cover II is then eitherpried olf by a straight leverage action of the pry-offtool 32 bearing onthe outer edge I1 of the rim I2 or by rotating or twisting the pry-offtool 32 to spring the rolled edge 28 out over the protuberances 2l As isclearly shown in Figure l, the relation of the rolled'edge 28 withrespect to the rest of the wheel assembly is such that the pry-olf toolcan engage the rolled edge 28 of the wheel cover II and bear against theouter edge I1 of the rim I2 without contacting the trim ring 30. This isextremelydesirable since the trim ring is made of relatively thin sheetmetal material and any prying force bearing against the spaced bodyportion of the trim ring would dent the same.

Turning now to an examination of the rolled edge 28 of the wheel cover II it will be noted that the extent of the roll is suicient so as toprovide a. double thickness of metal opposite both the protuberances 25and the point at which the pryoil tool 32 engages the roll. Where therolled edge 28 is formed by an outward roll, as is'shown in Figures land 7, the extent of the roll is approximately one and one-quarterturns. That is to say, a roll of one and one-quarter turns is sumcientto provide a double thickness of metal opposite the pry-01T tool as wellas opposite the point on which the flange 21 is sprung over theprotuberances 25 on the vehicle wheel I 0. This provision of a doublethickness of metal at these two points where the greatest stress occursenables the use of relatively thin sheet metal stock in forming thewheel cover II with the resulting economy in manufacturing costs. Italso provides a proper distribution of metal at the points where it isneeded.

It will also be observed that the larger curl which is provided by aroll of the character described gives more clearance for the pry-offtool and thus facilitates the removal of the wheel cover I I from thewheel I0. 'Ihe rolled edge 28 of the wheel cover I I also provides anon-denting edge portion.

In Figures 3 to 7 of the drawings I have illustrated a novel method bywhich the wheel cover II may be made which method is divisional subjectmatter but is illustrated herein because same aiords a betterunderstanding of my novel wheel cover and its structural formation. Morespecilically, the rst step of the method is to curl the edge of adome-shaped blank 32 having a rearwardly projecting ange portion. 33slightly more than one-quarter of one turn outwardly as at 34. This maybe conveniently done in a die press which includes an upper movable diemember 35 and a lower die block 36. The lower die block 86 has anannular channel portion 37 of semi-circular cross-section which effectsthe partial curling of the rear edge of the ange portion 33 when theupper die member 35 is moved downwardly with respect to the lower dieblock 36.

This operation sometimes causes an imperfect edge formation and for thatreason it is preferable to trim oil a slight portion of the curled edgeas is indicated by the line 38 in Figure 4. We now have a blank in whichthe rearwardly projecting ilange 33 has an outwardly curled edge 34, theextent of the curl being approximately one-quarter of a turn.

'I'he third step of the process the quarter curled edge 34 into ahalf-curl of smaller diameter. This operation is illustrated in Figure 5and may be done in a die press including an upper die member 39 and alower die member 40. The lower die member 40 is provided with an annulargroove 4I of semi-circular cross-section.

The next step of the process is to roll or curl the half turned curlededge 34 into a one and one-quarter turned curled edge as is shown inFigure 6. Here again, the operation may be performed in a die presshaving an upper die member 42 and a lower die block 43. The one andone-quarter turned curled or rolled edge which is formed in the diepress as indicated by Figure 6 is the curled edge 28 which haspreviously been referred to in connection with the description of thearticle itself in Figures l, 2 and 7. The blank when removed from thedie press as shown in Figure 6 then has its rearwardly projecting flange33 bulged as at 29 in Figure 7, and the blank then becomes the iinishedwheel cover II.

In Figure 8 of the drawings a modified form of the present invention isshown and for purposes of clarity those elements of the wheel assemblyis to strike up which correspond to similar elements in Figure i havebeen given lthe same reference numerals. The wheel I in Figure 8 isequipped with a wheel cover or wheel disk 44 which includes adome-shaped central portion 45 and a rearwardly projecting ange portion46 which terminates in an inwardly rolled edge 41. In Figure 9 of thedrawings the character of the inward rollA is clearly shown. The inwardroll on the wheel cover 44 as shown in Figures 8 and 9 is one andone-quarter turns. One and one-quarter turns on an inward roll does not,however, provide a double thickness of metal opposite the protuberances25 as well as. opposite the pry-off tool 32 as it does with an outwardroll. An inspection of Figures 8 and 9 will show that the doublethickness is provided only opposite the pry-oir tool by a one andone-quarter turn roll.

In order to provide a double thickness of metal opposite theprotuberances 25 of thewheel I 0 as well as opposite the pry-olf tool 32with an inward roll, it is necessary to provide a one and three-quarterturn roll as is shown in Figure 10.

When it is desired to use extremely thin metal in the wheel cover membermore than one and three-quarter turn rolls may be employed as isillustrated in Figure 11. In other words, the rolled edge 41 maycomprise a sufficient number of turns to effect the desired rigidity andstiffness at this point of the wheel cover. Where extremely thin metalis used, as is shown in Figure 11, it is generally desirable to stienthe dome portion 45 of the wheel cover 44 by a plurality of stifteningribs 48.

Inwardly rolled edge 4l of the wheel cover 44 which is described inFigures 8, 9, 10 and 11, may be formed by a process similar to thatdescribed in connection with the preferred form of the invention.

While I have shown particular embodiments of my invention, it will, o1'course, be understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto sincemany modifications may be made and I, therefore, contemplate by theappended claims to cover all such modiiications which fall within thetrue spirit and scope oi' my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A circular member having a flange portion arranged to be sprung overattaching means on a second member, said flange portion having a rollededge, the extent of the roll being suiicient to provide a doublethickness of metal at the point where said fiange portion is sprung cnthe said second member.

2. A circular member having a flange portion arranged to be sprung overrigid attaching means on a second member, said flange portion having arolled edge, the extent of the roll being suilicient to provide a doublethickness of metal opposite the rigid attaching means on said secondmember.

3. A wheel cover having a generally rearwardly projecting ange arrangedto be sprung over rigid attaching means on a vehicle wheel, saidrearwardly projecting flange having a rolled edge, the extent of theroll being suicient to provide a double thickness of metal opposite therigid attaching means on the vehicle wheel.

4. In a wheel structure, a wheel including'rim and body parts, one ofsaidparts having a plurality of spaced rigid protuberances arranged in acommon circle and a circular cover member of thin metallic sheet andhaving a rearwardly extending continuous circularv edge portion iiexibleinto retaining cooperation with such protuberances, said edge portionbeing tightly curled into a rolled edge having a multiple thickness ofmetal at the point of engagement with said protuberances and also at anadjacent point accessible from the outside of said member for theapplication of a pry oi tool thereto, said rolled edge comprisingsubstantially more than one complete turn of metal to render said edgenondenting when engaged by a pry-off tool and also reinforcing said edgeto enable it to have sumcient tension when exed over said protuberancesto exert a cover retaining pressure against said protuberances.

GEORGE ALBERT LYON.

